He said: "The government has turned a determined blind eye to the problem and has failed to make the reduction of the population's alcohol intake a policy goal.

"Through the new alcohol licensing law and the official guidance on it, the national government has also done its best to tie the hands of local government on this issue."

Professor Ian Gilmore, chairman of the Royal College of Physician's Alcohol Committee and liver specialist at Liverpool University Hospital said it was not surprising that deaths from cirrhosis were rising sharply.

He said: "This is supported by day-to-day observation on the wards, where cirrhosis has become commonplace in men and women in their 20s and 30s.

"While we support many aspects of the government's alcohol strategy, the bottom line is that alcohol-related harm will continue to rise until we address the fundamental problem that we are drinking too much as a nation.

"The proven way to reverse that is to tackle the unpalatable issues of price and availability."

Government response

A Department of Health spokesperson said action was being taken to cut deaths from liver disease as set out in the Alcohol Harm Reduction Strategy.

This included a campaign to promote responsible drinking among young people, a clampdown on irresponsible promotion, and extra funding for services for people with alchohol problems.

"The research in the Lancet was undertaken before the new licensing laws came in. The new laws are just one part of the solution.

"We believe that, through the development of a more civilised approach to drinking and the tougher powers to tackle badly run premises, there should be a positive impact on health."